Author: Web Desk

India’s outreach to Gulf countries and the broader Arab world has become an ‘increasingly important pillar of its foreign policy,’ the country’s External Affairs Minister, Dr. S Jaishankar, said today.

In a detailed statement laid on the table of the Lok Sabha, the lower House of India’s Parliament, Jaishankar said ‘this region has traditionally been important for India’s energy security. The welfare of the Indian diaspora in the region is also a high priority.’

However, under a recent, innovative ‘Think West Policy,’ ties with these countries have moved beyond conventional areas of cooperation.

‘Relations with countries in the Gulf region and the Arab world, have continued to deepen through sustained high-level visits, increased trade, investment and strengthening of relations in areas such as energy, security, culture, education, health, and enhanced investments.’

Jaishankar was answering a question by two Members of Parliament (MPs), Rajendra Dhedya Gavit and Kirit Premjibhai Solanki, on ‘Think West P
olicy’ and whether it has contributed to the realisation of the government’s vision for ‘Security and Growth for All in the Region,’ popularly known as SAGAR.

A statement is ‘laid on the table’ of the Lok Sabha under a parliamentary procedure as the basis for further discussions on ‘starred’ questions asked by MPs.

The Minister said the key focus of India’s foreign policy remains its immediate and extended neighbourhood.

‘India’s historical and civilisational ties with countries in the region continue to guide our approach to our neighbourhood and beyond. Think West Policy and the vision for SAGAR respectively seek to comprehensively enhance our engagement with relevant countries,’ the statement added.

SAGAR is envisioning India to make contributions in connectivity, capacity building, disaster management and promoting sustainable development, Jaishankar told Parliament.

Source: Emirates News Agency

Amidst the UAE’s celebrations of the 52nd Union Day, the National Library and Archives launched the first Encyclopedia of UAE History, within the framework of its great national mission and role of collecting and preserving the memory of the nation.

The Encyclopedia of UAE History project was launched in a grand ceremony attended by prominent cultural and academic figures, Specialists, Experts and Researchers who will contribute to the accomplishment of this encyclopedia, and a vast audience of prominent intellectuals and all interested in the history and heritage of the UAE.

The ceremony’s opening speech was delivered by Abdullah Majed Al Ali, Director General of the National Library and Archives, who welcomed all the esteemed guests and stressed that history is a repository of civilisation and culture, and that this encyclopedia of UAE history project encompasses a broad spectrum of topics on the history and heritage of the UAE, and its civilisational and cultural achievements.

He added, “The National L
ibrary and Archives proudly offers its holdings and treasures of historical records, documents, and sources on the Gulf region in general, and the UAE in particular. The encyclopedia of UAE history is distinct from all others by virtue of its documented and authentic historical information that provides various users a broad fund of knowledge and ready access to the UAE ancient and glorious history which the UAE Founder and Builder, the Late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan considered the real and essential gateway to understanding the present and perceiving the future.

”His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, also stressed the importance of history through his words: The history of man on the UAE land is a story that dates back thousands of years and which is told to future generations and the world. The deserts, mountains and seas bear witness to the greatness of man and the manifestations of his creativity and resilience in the face of life’s hardships. This land bears evi
dence of successive civilisations that survived despite the harsh circumstances and great challenges through the impressive determination of its great men, thanks to whom it currently enjoys this development, prosperity, and progress.”

He thanked the scientific committees and teams in charge of writing and supervising the compilation of this encyclopedia, and who were carefully selected as renowned, qualified and experienced Researchers, Academics and Intellectuals, and stressed that the encyclopedia of UAE history shall necessarily have a vital role in the civic education and national upbringing of future generations so they may be proud of their nation and its cultural achievements.

He reviewed the achievements of the National Library and Archives’ recently organised workshops in terms of the encyclopedia’s historical methodology and theme arrangement, the depicted historical eras in chronological sequence, the work plan stages, and expected outcome, as well as the encyclopedia’s projected goal and aspire
d role of preserving the memory of the nation for future generations.

It is noteworthy that the Encyclopedia of UAE History shall initially be digitally issued consisting of seven sections, the first of which focuses on the UAE’s geography, location, area, natural resources and physical features etc., whereas the other sections deal with its history. The encyclopedia is supervised by an advisory body including members from various UAE emirates. Its scientific committee comprises renowned Experts, Researchers and specialised Historians. According to the project’s developed work-plan, the encyclopedia is expected to be finally accomplished within five years, and the National Library and Archives encourages and welcomes the participation of scientific and cultural institutions, researchers and specialists to further enrich the encyclopedia with accurate, authentic and documented information.

The Encyclopedia of UAE History encompases the “Memory of the Nation”, which the National Library and Archives keenly co
llects, to safeguard, preserve and offer to researchers and future generations to round off its large number of publications on the history and heritage of the UAE and the Gulf region, and to prove and stress to the world that historically, the UAE is not an emerging nation in history but rather a great one with an ancient history that dates back nearly seven thousand years.

Source: Emirates News Agency

As part of the cultural programme at Al Dhafra Book Festival 2023, the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre (ALC) organised a seminar titled ‘Cultural Journalism and Building Awareness with Culture’, featuring veteran journalists Abdul Hamid Ahmad, Editor-in-Chief of Gulf News, and renowned writer and media figure Ali Obeid Al Hamli, who held various positions across multiple media organisations.

The seminar saw the two journalists discuss the current state of cultural journalism, in light of the decline of print journalism and the widespread use of social media. The open dialogue with the audience was moderated by Dr. Berlant Qabeel, Head of Programmes at the ALC.

The seminar was held at the theatre of the Public Park in Zayed City, providing valuable information about the history of cultural journalism and its prominent figures in the Arab world, in addition to exploring how cultural journalism contributed to raising awareness among readers.

Abdul Hamid Ahmad highlighted the historical role of editors-in-ch
ief, who were once literary figures shaping news content. He cited examples from renowned Arab newspapers that had literary figures serving as editors-in-chief, with culture at the core of their thought and personality. ‘With that in mind, it became essential to establish cultural pages, supplements, and magazines, in order to give cultural news its important place,’ he said. ‘The second generation of editors-in-chief inherited this focus on culture, even if they were not from the cultural community themselves. This has all changed now.’

Commenting on the decline of cultural standards on social media, the Gulf News editor-in-chief pointed to the diminished output of major literary figures who prefer traditional publishing. He urged authors and cultural institutions to have a strong presence on these platforms, in order to reach out to a wider audience and make culture more appealing to them. Abdul Hamid Ahmad underlined the positive role book fairs currently play in promoting culture on a large scale, attrac
ting children and young people, and encouraging them to enjoy books and reading. He went on to highlight book exhibitions, which have proven to be a great success in the West.

For his part, Ali Obeid Al Hamli spoke about the impact of cultural journalism on his professional life, saying: ‘We, writers, began our journey with cultural journalism. The biggest motivator for our generation was for our names to appear in newspapers, and although these papers were not specialised in culture, they covered it as much as they did politics and economics. We have seen renowned figures establish cultural magazines; for them, culture was more of a calling than a job.’

‘Does cultural journalism still hold the same value for the new generation?’ he asked. ‘Every young author today has a personal platform where they present whatever they want. And this creates a problem, because there are no longer any role models for newcomers and no more standards for writing. We have seen many writers who do not have the talent for writi
ng or the mastery of its techniques and language.’

Al Hamli went on to note that cultural journalism is currently facing a major problem, where despite the widespread availability of means of communication, it has not created a generation of writers capable of contributing to the literary landscape, which, in turn, has produced a crisis in writing across the Arab world. ‘Perhaps we need to set standards for writing,’ he explained. ‘We cannot control social media, but we can set standards and promote literary criticism through these platforms so that we can evaluate literature and drive it forward.’

In conclusion, Al Hamli explained that there are many writers who have their own means of print publishing, and these are the ones who enrich the scene. ‘Publishing through social media harms the culture more than it serves it,’ he said, pointing to the need for the old cultural supplements, even if published online. ‘The only way to do that is for cultural centres and institutions, such as the Abu Dhabi Arabic L
anguage Centre, to play an active role on social media platforms, in order to create balance between social media content and our vision of what culture should be in our present era.’

Source: Emirates News Agency